"It's not something that defines me. I'm not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician, or a gay politician, for that matter. It's just part of who I am," Varadkar told RTE Radio 1 in January 2015.

If Varadkar wins the June 2 election, he will become the youngest politician to hold the office. He would also be Ireland's first leader of Asian descent and its first openly gay leader.